Priya Prakash Varrier winked and she winked beautifully. The social media is on a tizzy, sending all previous viral numbers for a toss. YouTube has recorded over 8 million views and Instagram is still counting.
Priya's sudden dart to Internet fame has sparked a lot of thought and instant debate on what could go viral. The implication of being 'viral' could be beyond the vitality of the wink or the actor's charm.
Read more: Exclusive: An interview with Priya Prakash Varrier whose adorable wink took the internet by storm!
The Harvard Business Review (HBR) says a viral video is 'every marketer's dream and the surest way to cut through the noise of the internet.'
HBR cites a study by Unruly, a marketing technology company, which has the stated aim of 'getting videos seen, shared and loved across the open web for brands that want to move people.' Unruly lists 10 motivations for social sharing including 'social good,' 'opinion seeking,' and 'shared passion.'
HBR says nearly 18 per cent of internet users share videos every week and 9 per cent, every day. So, companies should try to reach these 'super sharers.' So much to say, a company called Talkwalker came up with a Virality Map to track how a brand or campaign communication spread around.
Also check: Viral wink: Priya zooms past Dulquer, joins Kylie, Ronaldo on Instagram
The Talkwalker site tells the story of how Nike's campaign for its self-tying boots went viral. The Nike official tweet said, "if you can imagine the future, you can create it."
The company also send a pair of boots to actor-comedian Michael J Fox. The Virality Map said Nike's tweet spread across multiple media types. The tweet was used on several blogs which were again mentioned on Twitter.
Also check: She winked, he blushed: Meet the Guruvayoor lad who sank in the viral wink
Talkwalker says global brands can use their Virality Map to 'refine communication strategies and amplify their outreach.'
A case study by Andreas M.Kaplan and MichaelHaenlein, an abstract of which is available on the net, says the term viral marketing was introduced by Jeffrey Rayport first in 1996.
The authors analyze the dynamics between social media and viral marketing and list out six steps executives should adopt for effective viral communication. The authors present four distinct viral marketing kinds, namely, nightmares, strokes-of-luck, homemade issues, and triumphs.
So, what is Priya Prakash Varrier's winking charm? Probably, the charm is that the reasons for the video going viral has not yet been deciphered by social media pundits.
